Parish's £400k appeal to save ancient churches

Parts of St Andrew's date back to the 11th Century

A parish in West Sussex needs to raise nearly half a million pounds to pay for vital repairs to two of its ancient churches.

The church tower at St Andrews's in West Dean needs £200,000 of repairs, and work to fix the tower, roof, lighting and heating at All Saints in East Dean will cost the same amount.

The Valley Parish, which runs the two churches, has already secured about a quarter of the money and is applying for funding grants, but is also appealing to the public for donations.

People are being asked to give what they can when attending a VE Day commemoration event being held at St Andrew's this bank holiday weekend.

As well as displays of flowers throughout the church, there will be a catalogue of local history, including information on backgrounds of the men from the parish who lost their lives during World War Two.

Research has revealed that men from this small pocket of Sussex ended up serving in operations all over the world - including France, Canada, India and Burma – as well as on the home front in the Home Guard.

All Saints was built in the 12th Century and is thought to be the first church in the village

Sarah John, who is organising the event, has been able to find photographs of the men and details of their incredible bravery.

"They were involved in North Atlantic convoys, flights into occupied France to pick up French Resistance members, the Peenemunde Raid at a Nazi bomb development centre, and Operation Market Garden over Arnhem, as well as many other significant events," said Sarah.

"We really hope it's going to be a busy day and that people will enjoy finding out more about those from the area who served in the war."

Other displays at St Andrew's include information about women's roles in the war, such as the Women's Land Army, and details on how schools in the Valley coped with evacuees from London.

The children from Wean Dean Primary School have prepared a display of their work following interviews with relatives about their wartime memories.

The church will be open from 10:00-17:00 BST, Saturday to Monday.